CHAPTER FIVE #2
Cole grinned. “Not every day. Her, Angie, and Kiara rotate. They’ll be by later to pick their kids up.”
Ben enjoyed hearing how his family lived their lives so closely intertwined with each other, especially since they all had kids around the same age.
They weren’t completely insular, however, since all the school-aged kids attended the Christian school attached to the church, and they were all involved in the church.
“Are you ready for another week?” Cole asked. “It wasn’t too much for you?”
“It’s just the teen camp this next week, right?”
“Yep. A lot of the same kids will be there,” Cole said, turning his attention to the steaks on the grill. “I really appreciated your help this week,”
“Thank you for giving me the opportunity. I really enjoyed it.”
Cole’s gaze went over Ben’s shoulder, and then he smiled. “I wasn’t sure she was actually going to come.”
Ben turned to see that Amelia had arrived. Annie and the kids flocked to her, and she gave each of them a hug. It was a bit weird to think that the same people who were his sister and his nieces and nephews were Amelia’s aunt and cousins, because of her relationship to Cole.
While she’d once lived in leggings and sweatshirts off the ice, that day, Amelia wore a white denim skirt that reached her knees and a flowing floral blouse with loose sleeves that ended past her elbows.
Her light brown hair was down, flowing around her shoulders in loose waves.
She looked beautiful, though different from the girl he'd once known.
Ben found himself watching her as she interacted with Annie and the kids, noting how she smiled warmly at them but still maintained a certain distance, as if holding part of herself back.
"Are you going to go talk to her?" Cole asked, flipping a steak.
Ben glanced at his brother-in-law. "I don't know. She doesn't seem interested in rekindling a friendship."
“I’m sure that’s true. She’s always kept herself aloof from people, but she’s been even more reserved since she stopped skating. She’s even distanced herself from people who’ve always been in her life. Like Lexi, who was more than just her coach.”
Ben remembered the sadness in Lexi’s gaze when she’d talked about how her relationship with Amelia had become almost non-existent once skating wasn’t there to hold them together.
He had no idea what had made Amelia pull away from her support system the way she had, but it hurt him to know she was isolating herself.
Without even realizing what he was doing, Ben moved in Amelia’s direction. The kids had run off again, so it was just Annie standing near her.
“Hey, Ben,” Annie said as he neared them.
“Hey.” He gave Annie a quick smile before turning his attention to Amelia. “It’s good you could make it.”
Amelia crossed her arms, glancing around before meeting Ben’s gaze. “I said I’d come, so here I am.”
“It’s a beautiful evening,” Annie said. “Perfect for a barbecue. We’ll be ready to eat soon.” She reached out and touched Amelia’s arm. “I’ll talk to you more later.”
When Annie walked away, silence settled between them, as awkward as ever. Ben shifted his weight, uncertain how to proceed. He hadn't planned what to say beyond his initial greeting.
"Can I get you something to drink?" he offered, gesturing toward the cooler. "They've got water, soda, and I think some lemonade."
"Water would be fine," Amelia said, her voice soft.
Ben nodded and walked with her to the cooler. He bent down to retrieve a bottle of water, the ice inside clinking as he rummaged through the drinks. Their fingers brushed as he handed her the bottle of water he’d found.
Amelia pulled her hand away quickly, as if his touch had startled her.
"Thanks," she murmured, twisting the cap off the water bottle.
"Do you want to sit down somewhere?" Ben gestured toward one of the empty tables.
She hesitated, glancing around the yard as if looking for an escape route before giving a small nod. "Sure."
They made their way to the picnic table, which was set apart from the others.
Ben waited for Amelia to sit down before settling on the bench opposite her.
The distance between them felt both physical and metaphorical.
He couldn't help but notice how tightly she held herself, her shoulders stiff, her hands wrapped firmly around the water bottle as if it might provide some protection.
"So, how are you enjoying working at the church?" Ben asked, searching for neutral ground.
Amelia took a sip of water before answering. "It's good. The hours work well for me, and I like the people there."
"Miss Marian seems like a character," Ben said with a chuckle, remembering his interaction with the older woman.
"She is," Amelia agreed, a small smile playing on her lips.
“She tried to set me up with her granddaughter,” Ben said with a chuckle. “When I said no, she moved on to Luca. Do you know her granddaughter?”
Amelia nodded. “She’s very nice, and she’s beautiful as well. The full package.”
“So why does Marian feel like the woman needs her help to get a boyfriend?”
“Her last relationship didn’t turn out so well,” Amelia said. “So Miss Marian thinks she can do a better job of choosing someone for her.”
“Are you dating much these days?” Ben asked. “Or do you have a boyfriend?”
He wasn’t sure why he asked her that, except that he really was curious about it.
Amelia’s expression told him that it wasn’t a subject she was interested in discussing.
Still, she shook her head. “No.”
He waited for her to expound on the subject, but she didn’t. Instead, she twisted the cap off her water bottle and took a sip.
“I’m not dating at the moment either,” he volunteered.
Amelia glanced at him, then looked away.
“I’m not sure how to respond to that,” she murmured. “Should I congratulate you? Or do you want sympathy?”
Ben chuckled. “I’m not sure how you should respond either. It just is, I suppose. Not good or bad. It’s just the way things are at the moment.”
Amelia nodded. “Yep.”
“I hear Layla got married and has some kids now.”
“She went away to college to become a nurse, met a guy, and got married. Now she works part time at the clinic with Uncle Gareth and Aunt Misha.”
“How many kids does she have?”
“She just had her third last October.”
“Guess she likes being a mom, huh?”
“She does,” Amelia said. “I think she’d like more kids, but I’m not sure about Grant.”
“Grant?”
“Her husband.”
“What does he do?”
“He’s a firefighter.”
“Do you like him?”
Amelia’s brows lifted. “Sure. He’s always treated Layla well, and he’s great with their kids.”
“That’s good,” Ben said. “I’m glad she found someone who is good to her.”
“Mom and Dad weren’t sure about him at first, but they came around.”
Before Ben could delve further into that subject, Cole called for their attention.
“I’d like to say a prayer of thanks for the meal, then we can eat.”
Everyone gathered around Cole, then waited as he prayed. In addition to thanking God for the food, he thanked Him for a successful week at the clinic and prayed God’s blessing on the kids who had been there and heard the message of salvation.
Once the prayer was over, they lined up to get the food that was spread out on a long, rectangular table. It wasn’t a super fancy spread, but it all looked and smelled delicious.
The men let the women and children go first, then Ben fell in line with Luca. When Ben looked around once he had his plate filled, he saw Amelia was seated at the picnic table again, but this time, it was with Annie and the children.
There was no room for him, so he and Luca went to sit at a table with some of the other men who had participated in the clinic.
He was disappointed to not be able to spend time with Amelia, but he hoped that there would be more opportunities to do that in the weeks ahead.
Why it was so important to him to establish a friendship with Amelia after all these years, he didn’t know. But given everything he’d learned about what had happened in her life over the past two years, he felt like she could do with a friend.
Maybe it was vain of him to think that he could be that friend, but they’d meant something to each other once upon a time. And he hated seeing Amelia struggling with her health and the change it had forced on her.
If he could offer support and friendship, it was the least he could do.